Eversource Plans Clean Up Of Toxins At Site In Framingham

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Eversource has submitted a plan to state environmental regulators describing how the utility will clean up a contaminated former gas plant site in south Framingham.

The former gas plant at 350 Irving St. closed in 2008, but the 25-acre site has remained contaminated with PCBs, lead, cyanide and other petrochemicals, according to a plan submitted recently to MassDEP.

According to the plan, Eversource would perform a host of activities at the site starting in 2023, including the construction of a cap over the site, and installing a groundwater containment barrier.

The former gas plant site is on top of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority's Sudbury Aqueduct, and the site has a small stream that drains into Beaver Dam Brook, which feeds Lake Cochituate.

The former gas plant site is part of a string of contaminated properties in south Framingham undergoing remediation, including General Chemical and Mary Dennison Park, the former site of the Dennison Manufacturing Company. The gas plant is also not far from Cedar Swamp, which was closed in 2020 after tests revealed high concentrations of lead in the soil.

The public can submit comments about the Eversource gas plant cleanup through Aug. 30. If approved by the state, the cleanup could begin next summer and last through fall 2025.